Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason
- ISBN-10
- 038552837X
- ISBN-13
- 9780385528375
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 320
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2008-10-14
- Publisher
- Vintage
- Author
- Russell Shorto
Description
Sixteen years after René Descartes' death in Stockholm in 1650, a pious French ambassador exhumed the remains of the controversial philosopher to transport them back to Paris. Thus began a 350-year saga that saw Descartes' bones traverse a continent, passing between kings, philosophers, poets, and painters. But as Russell Shorto shows in this deeply engaging book, Descartes' bones also played a role in some of the most momentous episodes in history, which are also part of the philosopher's metaphorical remains: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, and the earliest debates between reason and faith. Descartes' Bones is a flesh-and-blood story about the battle between religion and rationalism that rages to this day. A New York Times Notable Book
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2009
- 299 pages
- Paperback
- Vintage
-
- 2013-11-01
- 336 pages
- Paperback
- Hachette UK
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